Ecuador

2012

New York, January 31, 2012--Reforms to Ecuador's
electoral law that will take effect on February 4 could hamper the ability of
the country's journalists to cover political campaigns and elections, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Dear Mr. Insulza: The Committee to Protect Journalists has been monitoring with increasing concern an offensive launched by the government of Ecuador aimed at weakening the Inter-American human rights system, an effort that if successful could represent a serious blow to freedom of expression in the hemisphere.

A controversial
2011 defamation verdict against the leading
Ecuadoran daily El Universo, which became
a symbol of vastly deteriorating press conditions under President Rafael
Correa, appears headed to a final determination. The nation's highest court is
due to hear the newspaper's appeal, although the hearing date itself is still subject
to intense debate. The ramifications are enormous for free expression in
Ecuador: The verdict, if upheld by the high court, could bankrupt the newspaper,
put its managers in jail, and send a chill quashing dissent for years
to come. As it fights for its existence, the paper has mounted an aggressive defense
that includes an allegation that the trial judge allowed the president's own lawyer
to write the verdict.